PUBLIC school teachers islandwide who were on a three-day sick-out to protest against Government’s wage offer are expected to return to classrooms today.

Thousands of teachers, who are represented by the Jamaica Teachers’ Association (JTA), have been off the job since Monday, causing jitters among parents whose children are expected to sit the Grade Six Achievement Test soon.

The industrial action by the teachers followed the JTA’s rejection of the Government’s wage offer of a 16 per cent increase over a four-year period.

However, following a meeting yesterday with the JTA, the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service, and the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, the teachers agreed to return to the classroom after an agreement was signed between the parties.

The agreement stipulates that negotiations between the teachers and the finance ministry would resume on Friday.

“There will be a suspension of School’s Bulletin No 42/2018 from the Ministry of Education, Youth & Information, dated March 13, 2018, in respect to payment of retroactive salaries and payment of revised salaries pending further deliberation and negotiation at the local level between the parties at the meeting arranged for March 16,” the release said.

State Minister in the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service Rudyard Spencer, in a press release, said that Government is unable to meet the teachers’ request for an increase of $60,000 in their book and software allowance.

Spencer said if the book and software allowance were to be granted it would increase the budget by $1.7 billion.

“While we acknowledge the need for more resources for the teachers, there simply is no more room to absorb any further increase at this time, given the imperative to get to nine per cent wage to GDP,” he said.

The state minister stressed that the Government was focused on meeting the International Monetary Fund-backed nine per cent wage to GDP ratio.

The minster also noted that if Government accedes to the teachers’ request it would no doubt have to also meet requests from the other groups, and if Government satisfied all the requests it would derail the country’s economic reform efforts.

He appealed to the teachers to be patient.